5 Big Changes Reportedly Coming To The iPad Lineup By 2027

Early in 2026, Apple updated the iPad Air with the M4 chip and the iPad Pro with the M5. While both new versions mark a few minor tweaks compared to the previous models, Apple added 12GB of RAM to both tablets, enabling upcoming Apple Intelligence features in iPadOS 27, in addition to the company's own 5G and connectivity modems. These changes improve iPad's reliability when making AirDrop transfers, connecting and switching between networks, and even improving battery life thanks to Apple's tight integration between hardware and software. Still, there's a lot more to come in the second semester of 2026 and throughout 2027, as Apple is expected to introduce Siri AI to its tablets, a new iPad mini design, and even an all-new base-model iPad launching early next year.

At this moment, some of these changes have already been confirmed, including the new Siri AI, while others have recently been reported by media outlets such as Bloomberg. Even though some of these improvements were expected for late 2026, it seems that the recent price hike on Apple products and the ongoing memory crisis might have prompted the company to reassess when to release new devices, as components are scarce and cost much more to produce than they did a few years back. Still, there's a lot that could change and be improved in the iPad lineup in the course of the next 12 months. Here's what you should know.

After two years of waiting, Apple will release the all-new Siri later this fall. Currently in beta for public testers and developers, the new Siri AI works surprisingly well. Using Gemini and Apple's Foundation Models, the company has finally been able to deliver an AI that not only can help users with their everyday tasks, but also does not flirt with them, does not want to sell them something, and does not give them half information just for the sake of them texting a follow-up question.

In an era of AI subscriptions already becoming more expensive (and yet somehow seemingly getting dumber), Apple seems to be nailing what an AI should do. The company put an "Ask to Siri" toggle in almost everywhere on the system, transformed the Mac Spotlight into a Siri AI searchbox, and, in most cases, the personal assistant does an amazing job with proofreading a text, understanding how people talk to their friends or boss, give context on something that's been displayed on the iPad screen, and even finding messages and photos, or a receipt based on "I need to find this and I think this person sent me that a couple of weeks ago."

Apple is once again showing that deep integration between hardware, software, and its services remains an unbeatable experience, and several iPad users will finally be able to test it once iPadOS 27 becomes available to the public.

An all-new iPad mini is coming. Weirdly, rumors suggest that it might get released around the same time as the iPhone Fold, Apple's first foldable device. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, but also reported by other media outlets before as well, Apple is planning to release an OLED version of the iPad mini, but with a catch: it will feature a 60Hz display, which means that Apple will not put its fancy ProMotion technology on its mini (but mighty) tablet.

Over the past few years, the iPad mini has become synonymous with power in a compact form. Unlike the popular base-model iPad, the iPad mini is designed for power users who are only concerned with a small form factor. Apple could put the A19 Pro or even the A20 Pro on this tablet and upgrade the current LCD screen to OLED. Apple's proprietary connectivity and modem chips are also expected to make their way to this tablet.

That said, what bugs me, and other users have been thinking the same, is how similar the iPad mini and the iPhone Fold might look. After all, rumors suggest this foldable device will look like an iPad mini when opened. However, what will differentiate them, besides the innovative form factor, is better cameras and a better display. Still, with this device expected to cost over $2,000, could the iPad mini interfere with sales, or could the iPhone Fold finally kill customers' interest in the iPad mini?

You've probably heard this before, but Apple Intelligence is coming to the base-model iPad — eventually! At first rumored for a 2025 release, the upcoming iPad 12 was expected to launch in 2026, but Apple might delay it to 2027. The reason: the recent price hikes and the ongoing memory crisis. Apple is probably prioritizing other devices, while those that could become much more expensive for a public that is not willing to pay the premium should wait a bit longer.

As it did with the rest of the iPad lineup, Apple has slowly added Apple Intelligence, as the M1 iPad Pro and iPad Air or newer models have it, while the latest A17 Pro iPad mini, and most likely the next iteration of the base-model iPad (which could have an A18 or A19 chip), will feature Apple Intelligence thanks to at least 8GB of RAM.

Once Apple upgrades this iPad internally, it will become one of the most interesting tablets on the market, not only for its somewhat budget price and good internal specs, but because Apple is finally boosting Apple Intelligence with the new Siri AI approach. By making AI private and easier for all users to access, it could be helpful for people in school, preparing presentations, writing essays, and so much more. This update, once available, will mark one of the biggest changes on the iPad lineup, especially after the iPad 10 redesign a few years back.

Bloomberg says that Apple is preparing a new version of the iPad Air and the iPad Pro for spring 2027. Even though the journalist doesn't expect major changes, which means no redesign, these iPads could get important processor boosts for more demanding AI features. The iPad Air, naturally, will get the M5 chip, which delivers AI performance that can be up to 3.5x faster than the M4.

For the iPad Pro, however, the new chip is unclear. While one could say that Apple will add the M6, a recent report by Bloomberg says the company is only releasing a base M6 MacBook Pro later this year and immediately after releasing an M7, M7 Pro, and M7 Max iterations. If the company follows the trend it started with the iPad Pro M4, we could see the first M7 chip released for the iPad Pro, followed a few months later by the MacBook Pro and its long-rumored OLED version. After all, Apple also skipped the M3 for the iPad Pro and introduced the M4 before it added this chip to the Mac.

If that turns out to be true, Apple would give iPad users another leap compared to the iPad Air, as the M7 chip is expected to deal with AI workloads a lot better than any base chip Apple introduced so far, while also enticing customers to upgrade their current iPads to a more efficient and powerful version with a brand-new processor, as well as upgraded cellular and connectivity chips.

In a different report, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple is working on new versions of the lower-end Apple Pencil with USB-C and the Apple Pencil Pro. At this moment, the main changes regard EU requirements to make these batteries more replaceable. Gurman says that Apple is working on "new battery systems" that could make it easier to remove them after a while. This way, instead of forcing customers to buy new accessories, they could just replace the battery inside.

At this moment, it's unclear how Apple will change the battery system on the Apple Pencil and whether the company will bring new features to these upcoming models. With the current versions, the company improved latency and responsiveness. The Apple Pencil Pro also has a few other perks, like hovering apps and items on the screen, and a gyroscope.

Both of these pencils are expected to be released alongside new iPad Air and iPad Pro models. That said, the Apple Pencil Pro is great for artists and people who constantly draw, while the USB-C version is more than enough for most people just writing on their iPad display, doodling a bit, or marking documents. It's also unclear whether Apple will maintain the same price tag or decide along the way to make them more expensive, as it's done with so many other products recently. So far, though, the company has left its accessory prices untouched.